


Almost Heaven

by cherrylng



Category: Muse (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Bureaucracy, Burial at Sea, Gen, Minor Character Death, Mountaineering, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 14:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13055682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylng/pseuds/cherrylng
Summary: “If at some point into the nearby future, I get asked what was the craziest thing that I’ve done for this year, it would be that I got roped into helping the guys from Muse to go and retrieve a cadaver in Mount Everest in order to bring it back to Britain to give it a burial at sea.”





	Almost Heaven

“Hey guys, want to know something from me?” Corvo says after finishing a last checkup of his gear. Behind and around him, sherpas are also doing their own checkups or waiting for the rest.  
  
“What is it, Corvo?” Dom asks.  
  
“If at some point into the nearby future, I get asked what was the craziest thing that I’ve done for this year, it would be that I got roped into helping the guys from Muse to go and retrieve a cadaver in Mount Everest in order to bring it back to Britain to give it a burial at sea.”  
  
Smiles and chuckles break out from the three members of Muse and their media manager.  
  
“Well, it’s not crazy as when you said yes to help us,” Chris quips in.  
  
To that, Corvo grins at them.  
  
And the expedition sets off from base camp.  
  
\-----  
  
The year of 2014 is a quiet year for Muse. On the surface it looks to be that way, yet the end of April gave them sad news.  
  
Chris was the first to notice it when he went to WHSmith and saw what was on the frontline news in the newspapers. After staring at the headlines long enough to have the words memorised, Chris leaves the shop and gets his phone out.  
  
“Matt, get online and find some news website that you use. You won’t believe what I’ve just read.”  
  
“Does it have to be right now?” Matt asks. “I can check it later.”  
  
“Do it  _now_.”  
  
“Alright, alright, I have my laptop on right now, Chris. What’s so important here--what the hell? It… It can’t be him can it, Chris?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s what I saw.”  
  
Soon, it spread onto Dom and Tom, the both of them in the same feelings as Chris and Matt are: shock and disbelief.  
  
They found it hard to believe what they’re seeing and reading, not daring to believe that a friend of theirs had perished, that it wasn’t until one of them made the call to their friend’s wife that reality finally sank into them.  
  
Dave is gone.  
  
Dave has been a friend to them all since they were kids in Teignmouth. Unlike those who went on to Universities to get a degree and then an office job, Dave opted to join the Royal Navy. Much like how it had always been Matt, Dom, and Chris’ dreams of making a living playing as a band, it was Dave’s dream to go out to sea. Since he left right after finishing his A-Levels, they pretty much lost contact with Dave.  
  
Dave met with them years later when Muse had just released Black Holes and Revelations, surprising them all. They did a quick catch up to learn that Dave had left the Navy after finishing a couple of tours and reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander working as a logistics officer, taking up a regular job since and having moved to Devonport with his then fiancée and now wife.  
  
They still see Dave from time to time over the years, either by meeting up to hang out for drinks or see him attend Muse shows.  
  
It’s nice to reignite the bond with their old friend, reminiscing the past and talking about their current lives. Even Chris and Matt’s children are friends with Dave’s brood.  
  
It was only early this year when Dave informed them of his plans to go and climb Mount Everest with his friends as they recall his excitement as he tells them the time he has spent training to climb mountains and even going to ones throughout Britain to summit them.  
  
They thought it was pretty brave of him to go mountaineering, even if most of them consider climbing Mount Everest is either for the brave or the foolish. They have their concerns, but mostly, they thought nothing of it much, not expecting for the worst.  
  
The last time they met with Dave, he was talking about taking photos from the mountaintop to send it to them.  
  
Now to know that he will never return back alive has dampen their moods. Worse is to find out from the now widowed Helen the astronomical costs required if the family wishes to recover Dave’s body from the mountain.  
  
It is what happened when Dom called Dave’s wife, Helen, to console her that put them on a journey that not even the last person in the world would scarcely believe that they would put themselves into it.  
  
She was already contemplating about setting up a fundraiser to pay for the costs when Dom stepped in and then asked this: Can we help in bringing him back?  
  
While of course Dave’s family have persuaded them not to do so, Matt and the rest of the band didn’t budge on their decision. After all, it made more sense that in combining their money together, the cost doesn’t hurt them compared to how much it will do so towards Dave’s family.  
  
The task set upon them now is to put out the money up front, go to Nepal and bring their friend’s body back. Sounds easy for a plan. Being able to reach that objective is another matter at hand.  
  
It should have been an issue that seems to be easily resolved had the circumstances made such a straightforward path a nonexistent one.  
  
The experts that Matt and Dom have consulted are happy to provide information, but from the way that they spoke over the phones they don’t sound too confident towards the plan. A climber that had fallen off the route is not as easy to find and not a challenge that people have the time and energy to search for. Dedicated mountain climbers and rescue workers are all too aware of the dangers if the risks involved are far too high to put their lives to attempt it, especially if the incident happened by what climbers have termed it as the death zone.  
  
The civil servants and politicians are all too aware of the risks involved in balancing the scales of having to appease the bereaved families and the public outcries if more lives are lost in a recovery attempt.   
  
Those risks have been taken account by the band. They have expected that if no one around them are willing to do it, then they themselves must step up to the mic. Let them handle it rather than rely on the known means, and they will figure it out along the way. Ironically, it is when they suggested a private expedition that somehow, the circumstances turned for the worse.   
  
Matt had been extraordinarily patient and complying. Hell, all four of them are. But after sitting through meeting after meeting, either to be told over and over that Her Majesty’s government is doing their best to work with the Nepalese government to retrieve the body or to be told that there isn’t much that can be done due to difficulties, their patience and trust has been strained, to put it appropriately.  
  
Currently, on a late evening, the four of them are at Matt’s flat, with the aforementioned singer fuming and walking back and forth in the living room in front of his best friends.  
  
“This is ridiculous,” Matt says, having repeated those three words several times by now. “All we wanted was to cover the costs for bringing his body back, and instead we get this mess instead. The red tape for this is thicker than the ones we get from Health and Safety for our proposed stage theatrics!”  
  
“That is because this is a lot more dangerous than what the stage theatrics that we wish to have,” Chris says, his body splayed on a sofa. “But yeah, this whole red tape fucking sucks.”  
  
“We have the money to cover it and they have the people who can do it. What’s the problem with it?” Matt says out loud. They all know what the problems are after having it hammered into their heads one too many times.  
  
They are all frustrated as well for the past week. Already Helen and Dave’s parents have thought it better off to just go for the alternative to simply bury Dave on Mount Everest if Dave’s body is found, even though it is not an option that neither Helen nor Dave’s parents would agree to.  
  
“As much as I hate to say it, they have a point, Matt,” Dom points out. “We’re not the experts here. To them, we’re just some famous celebrities willing to throw money into it for fame or ego rather than think about the fact that the guy who fell off of Everest is a childhood friend of ours. We’re not even the ones capable of doing it.”  
  
Matt’s face darkens, his scowl the result of frustration escalating within him. Then he stopped on his feet.   
  
“We can’t do it, but we know someone who might have the capabilities for it,” Matt says, his blue eyes alighted like a spark. “You guys know who I’m talking about, since some have said that what he does  _is_  the impossible.”  
  
Hearing that, the faces on Chris, Dom, and Tom’s have changed as well. They all know who Matt is referring to. After all, the band had help from him before when they got into a snag that was not so easy to get away from if he wasn’t there with them.  
  
“He could be the right guy to help us with this,” Dom says.  
  
“I can see where you’re going with this, Matt,” Tom says. “We only have one issue with it: Do you think that he would actually help us?”  
  
“In this situation that we’re in, lucky charms aren’t what we need. What we need is a certain charm, one that can help us overcome and  _do_  the impossible,” Matt stretches his arms out. “He’s that physical, walking charm that we need. Who else can we even turn to at this point?”  
  
“But do you really think that he’ll say yes to this?” Now it’s Chris’ turn to be unsure.  
  
“We don’t know the answer until we ask him,” Matt admits. “But I’m confident that he’ll help. Besides, it wouldn’t be the craziest idea that we’ve ever proposed to get him involved with.”  
  
\-----  
  
“That is the craziest idea you’ve ever proposed to me to get involved with,” Corvo says, his face in sheer disbelief.  
  
Matt and Dom had come to meet their friend and fellow musician at a pub close to where they live in the neighbourhood in order to explain what happened and why they need his involvement in it. To hear Corvo say that was not putting them to a good start.  
  
So maybe Matt may have overestimated on the probability that the Japanese singer would say yes into helping them with this insane plan. To be fair, any sane person would say what Corvo had said. The saving grace is that he had listened to their plan from start to finish to have that sentence as his answer.  
  
“Come on, Corvo. We’ve seen you go through the impossible before,” Matt says. He doesn’t want to give up right then and there when Corvo had refused. The four of them have been through a lot to just give up once they’ve gotten ‘no’ for an answer. “Your exploits are famous on its own, like that time when you glided through the skies using Da Vinci’s flying machine. Or that time you and your bandmates completed the Britcar 24-Hour Endurance Race and one of the tyres blew out while you’re on the wheel!”  
  
“Yeah, man, that was the highlight in the race!” Dom adds in. That event was years ago but it’s still a well-known story to both the music and racing industries. “And you managed to stop the car when you reached into the pit stop by drifting in before your team physically slowed it down to a stop to repair it. The odds were so well stacked against you and you’ve pulled through something that even Lewis Hamilton said that he couldn’t have done it.”  
  
“And you and your bandmates actually finished in the Top Ten!” Matt finishes.  
  
“Look, guys. There’s a huge difference between being put into an endurance car race and getting a corpse down from the highest mountain in the world,” Corvo deadpans. He crosses his arms, appearing stubborn and unfazed towards swaying his decision. “I still stand by my decision. I’m not going to participate something that insane, not even for glory or to prove to others that they’re wrong.”  
  
Matt and Dom sit back, deflated but still refused to give up. A different approach is needed now.  
  
“Can you at least provide some advice?” Dom asks, taking a diplomatic approach. “We can’t blame you if you don’t want to come along with the plan. The least you can do is to provide some other ideas to do what everyone says is impossible.”  
  
Corvo looks at them for a moment before he takes a drink from his pint of beer and leans back against his seat.  
  
“With what you have planned to do, it is not impossible, only that it can be so incredibly hard and dangerous to your own lives to achieve the goal that many would rather turn back and say that it’s impossible.”  
  
“So you’re saying that you know a few ways in how to get Dave down from Mount Everest?”  
  
Corvo sighs.  
  
“You are well aware that most climbers who have died on Mount Everest, especially on the death zone, rarely have their bodies recovered, much less brought back to their home countries? That doesn’t even include in the costs to get your friend’s body down from Everest and flying him back here?”  
  
“We’re covering the costs for that,” Dom answers. “We don’t want his wife to foot that particular bill.”  
  
“The other reason is that it can be just as fatal to the rescuers to attempt it. A couple of climbers fell to their deaths in their attempt to bring down the body of a West German woman from Everest in the 1980’s.”  
  
“Then we’ll be more careful with our approach and get more people involved in the recovery mission,” Matt says.  
  
Another sigh, and Corvo fixes them both with a hard stare.  
  
“I’m only saying this now for your own good. None of you guys are capable to do what you plan to do,” Corvo states outright. He puts his hands on the table, fingers latticed together. “I would rather physically stop you guys from even attempting to go to Nepal or even the countries that have border access to Everest. So why do you want to do it?”  
  
The way he says it means that he is serious enough to do so by any means. The risks involved are more than enough to have their friend to be alarmed.  
  
“Because Dave is our friend,” Matt says, finding no other way to explain a proper and valid reason. But after spending time in a bureaucratic stalemate with the government and getting no help from the experts, this is as valid of a reason to be given towards Corvo. “He knew the dangers and yet he still went with it. We know why everyone around us say to not do it, but it’s not right if we don’t even  _try_  to bring him home. We know the risks, we know that we’re not fit to attempt the plan, but we’ll regret it even more for not even trying when we have the capacity to do it. Even if we can’t bring him home, we want to still find him. If he can’t be brought home, we’ll still go and find him and give him a burial there instead.”  
  
Corvo looks at Matt and Dom, his eyes appearing as hard as steel towards them, before he breaks sight from them to take a deep breath and pinch the bridge of his nose.  
  
“You guys are lucky that you told me this while it’s still climbing season for that death mountain. Otherwise we’re waiting for the next season.”  
  
Matt and Dom perk their heads up.  
  
“Is that a yes I’m hearing there?” Matt asks, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“Yes, I’m helping you poor sods to bring your friend home,” Corvo says, rolling his eyes. “I’m only agreeing to this because my conscience won’t let me sit right if you  _do_  go without my help.”  
  
And truth be told for Matt and Dom who are present there, a part of themselves are relieved that Corvo had finally said yes.  
  
\-----  
  
Once they have Corvo involved, it seems as though the obstacles ahead of them that were once so tough and challenging to overcome had a hundred and eighty degree turn.  
  
When they explained the obstructiveness of the minister that they have been meeting to allow them to go with the plan, he decided to come with them to attend the next scheduled meeting with the minister. An amusing incident happened when just as the minister is about to start her usual monologue on the government’s reluctance to allow them to do their ‘expedition’ as she called it before, her mouth immediately stops working when she sees Corvo with them.   
  
After Corvo exchanged a few innocuous words -words that Matt and the rest of the band have noticed that it is also laced with subtle threats- with the minister and the civil servants present in her office, they changed the tone of their voices. Although they were still skeptical and advise extreme caution, nevertheless this time around they’re letting them do it.  
  
To see that physically happen right in front of them is shockingly impressive, at the same time it only reinforced the rumours surrounding Corvo that Matt and the others have heard of before, of the strings that he wields in his hands and the favours and information that no mere musician like him should be able to possess.  
  
It’s more than obvious that Corvo has powerful connections to not only be able to possess blackmail material that can a greatly affect a politician with a ministerial position, but also for the civil servants serving under the minister as well. No one but probably very few of them know the true extent of what he does and the reach that he possessed, but right now, they’re thankful that having Corvo by their side is taking an immediate effect of benefiting them.   
  
Once they have the minister’s begrudging approval, the next that they needed are licences to climb Mount Everest. They aren’t going to actually climb the mountain, but they can’t just expect that they can simply go there without alerting the authorities and the various mountaineering companies.  
  
Usually, the quota is filled up months in advance as Mount Everest only has two months to allow climbers to summit the mountain. Nevertheless, they filled in the forms to apply for one. Again with Corvo’s help, their applications have been approved for express services to be able to go to Mount Everest within this year. And what do you know, there is enough for the five of them.  
  
In only a few days, they find themselves on a flight towards Nepal. But in each minds of the four men, they cannot help but wonder just what sort of journey have they put themselves into.  
  
\-----  
  
Matt had once asked Corvo as to how he did the things that he had done and overcome the sheer challenge that almost seems impossible. To that, the Japanese singer’s reply is that the first step towards achieving the impossible starts with having to get there.  
  
Waking up in a hotel room in Kathmandu to his second day in the capital state of Nepal, Matt now knows that he meant it literally.  
  
It was one thing to really come to Nepal to do what they swear to do, it’s another thing entirely to really have do something that they are not fit to do. Corvo informs them over an afternoon tea that if they want to prove their determination to bring Dave home, that they must next fly from Kathmandu to Namche Bazar and go to the base camp on Mount Everest.   
  
In hindsight, this is where they should have turned back after what Corvo had told them and given them each a sip of the insanity ahead of them. And in how he selected the way to say it, it may have been his way to allow some of them to turn back from it while they still can.  
  
Instead, they got on the plane the next day that has a daily flight schedule to Lukla airport.  
  
Upon arrival, a tall caucasian man with dirty blond hair and beard are waiting for them at the airport. They have hired out assistance and guidance from Himex, the same company that Dave and his friends have hired for a full service summit.  
  
When the tall dirty blond-haired man spotted the group of five, he approaches them.  
  
“Welcome to Nepal,” the man greets them with a strong Australian accent. “I’m Max from Himalayan Expedition. I’m going to be your guide from here on for your summit to Mount Everest.”  
  
“Pleasure to meet you, Max,” Corvo greets back with a firm handshake. “I’m Corvo, currently the almighty secretary to these four gentlemen.”  
  
Matt, Dom, Chris, and Tom gave quick introductions to themselves before they proceed towards a rented van.  
  
“I must have lucked out to be bringing the famous British band Muse to Everest,” Max says, grinning once they all got into the van. “Although you guys are pretty late to have come to climb Everest.”  
  
“We were very busy for April,” Dom lies. “But we’re here now, better late than never, right?”  
  
Max nods easily. “Any of you men have done some climbing before? Even if it’s only getting to Base Camp, Everest is not for first timers.”  
  
“A few times before,” that is Corvo’s reply. “Just mostly ones that involve walking and rock climbing. It’s beautiful and all, but I must confess that I’m more of a sea person and I prefer to do my climbs where I can still breathe normal oxygen levels when I reach the top.”  
  
Max the guide isn’t offended by that as he lets out a loud guffaw.  
  
“Can’t blame you for that last part. It’s a lot nicer to feel like your lungs aren’t constantly working on overdrive,” Max says. He turns his head to look at the group. “So if you’re a sailor, and none of the rest have real experience in mountain climbing, why choose to come here?”  
  
“Do we have to be the ones to say it? After all, you know the reason why we’re here,” Corvo says, still smiling even as Max’ face drops.  
  
“I’ve been briefed by my bosses why the five of you are here,” Max says, the tone in his voice having changed entirely from the positive one that he had put on in front of them. “I’m sorry for the loss of your friend, but what you plan to do is outrageous. We’re low on manpower and the resources to properly find him.”  
  
Neither Matt nor the others really know what to say. The aura that radiates from their guide feels to be a dangerous one. He suspects the Australian man has been through military training before, and his own bandmates are thinking the same thing as well. The only person in the van who remains unfazed by it is Corvo.  
  
“We can deal with some of the problems that you have, so long as your company keeps to its words and do what it takes on your end.”  
  
“You don’t get it. It’s hard enough to find a missing body. Even if you managed to find the body, depending on where it landed, they either get stuck on an unreachable place or get frozen stuck to the mountain itself.”  
  
“Well, good thing we know it before we even got here,” Corvo says with a grin.  
  
“How are you so sure of this?” Max asks, glowering at them, but most especially at Corvo.  
  
“The expedition hasn’t started yet, as you’ve said so Max,” Corvo points out, chuckling. “But I’m not concerned. The resources and manpower that we will need for it will eventually come. Have some patience there, everyone. We can’t run up the mountain before we even learn how to crawl.”  
  
And the ride turns into a quiet, if uneasy, one.  
  
\-----  
  
The first few days are spent on Namche Bazar as it is necessary to acclimatise themselves to the high altitude and low oxygen levels. The days were also spent in their rooms of a decent lodge, reading the maps that Corvo had acquired before coming to Nepal, searching for information to find out where Dave was last seen on the mountain and the approximate location of where the fall happened, trying to find even slivers of clues. Some were obtained by asking around, others by means of the public information that are available on the Internet.  
  
As it continues to show, Matt is right to have picked Corvo to help them out. His time spent out sailing tall ships made him an exceptional navigator and cartographer, utilizing his abilities to aid in the investigation. Once they have obtained the approximate location of where Dave was last seen based on evidence told by several eyewitnesses present on that fateful day, is when Corvo can use the maps to find out where Dave’s body might be found. He does what he can in order to minimize the search area, from finding out the direction of the wind flows to calculating how far a fallen adult body can go down a mountain.  
  
His skills are coming to the attention of their mountain guide. Max is a very cynical man, but he does have expertise in his job to provide knowledge in what he knows to them.  
  
“So you’re already sure of where we should be looking for the body,” Max taps his finger on the map. On it, a circle was drawn with several small crosses on it, marking it as possible locations where Dave’s body might end up in.  
  
“Not one hundred percent sure,” Corvo says. “But each of these are marked as places with the highest probability of where we can find him.”  
  
“Well, this is the last known location that climbers who were present have seen him when he fell off. But the area below that route hasn’t been visited by anyone before. It’s virtually unknown in how to get there.”  
  
“That will be worked out later. The only good thing is that because of where he died, that means that he’s well below the death zone, but it’s still nonetheless a risky operation. The weather and the mountain did the job in keeping his body preserved,” Corvo says. “No clue if carrion animals have possibly encountered his body for a bit of a snack, though.”  
  
Those who are present in the room shuddered at the thought of it.  
  
It took another day for Corvo to be sure of the information to inform them the reports and his hypothesis, mapping out the last location based on those few eyewitnesses where Dave was before he fell off the path and the possible locations to find where wind, ice, and gravity would move his body to.   
  
The band met Corvo in his room together with Tom and Max to get a debriefing session of everything that is known so far. The good news that they have so far is that Dave’s body is below the height of the death zone. It was after he left the 1st camp with his group that tragedy struck him, so that eases Himex’ concerns and push the company towards being helpful to them. The path that they will have to take from Base Camp to Dave’s body location has been drawn up, even though it is an unknown path and no one is sure of what dangers there will be on the road that has yet to be made.  
  
They’re going to stay in Namche Bazar for one more night before they leave for Base Camp. The expedition has to happen, in one way or another.  
  
\-----  
  
Chris thought that they have acclimatised themselves well enough on Namche Bazar, but apparently there is an altitude height difference of two thousand meters between the town and Everest Base Camp, so they have to spend days again in their new environment, loitering around in the camp to get used to even  _less_  oxygen to breathe. It is no wonder why they say that Gurkha soldiers are the toughest breed of soldiers in the world.  
  
Compared to the town that they were staying at for the past week, the base camp is, well, dull. Being on rocky ground, the surroundings are in grey and white, dotted by the bright colours coming from the tents and the thick clothes of the tourists and sherpas.  
  
In Chris’ opinion, it is certainly not a great place to be at when you factor in the chilling cold, the lower than average oxygen levels, and how much attention must be paid to constantly monitor his own mental and physical health.  
  
What they are doing, to have come so far and done so much in a such short span of time, and they have already proved those detractors so wrong for their negative words. What they are doing is for the sake of Dave and his family and it is a great feat to undertake, but Chris is starting to come to his doubts. They are at base camp and are surely getting closer towards the objective of the plan, things are happening and yet at the same time it’s not. Just because they’re here now doesn’t mean that someone in the right position is willing to have the search expedition come to reality. Even if is formed, will they ever find Dave’s body?  
  
Dom doesn’t hold his doubts so close to his heart like Chris is right now. Tom is the same too and so is Matt. To be honest with himself, Chris is hoping that this insane plan can be done for he doesn’t want to dampen everyone’s mood with his thoughts. This is all for the sake of Dave and his family’s wishes. Even if what they’re doing is reckless to their own lives, Dave would have done the same.  
  
Wandering around, Chris hears a small buzzing noise above him. Looking up, the bassist is surprised to see a drone. On a second look, he sees that there are actually  _two_  drones flying above him. Wondering who is flying the drone, he looks around before he spots two familiar people in clothes that Chris is familiar with. He had been wondering where Matt and Corvo go off to for a few hours of the day ever since they’ve arrived here.   
  
Both Matt and Corvo noticed him approaching them.  
  
“What are you two doing?” he asks.  
  
“Flying remote-controlled drones?” Matt answers.  
  
“Is this what you two have spent doing ever since we’ve got here?”  
  
“Well, yeah,” Matt replies, as though it is the obvious. “How else will we learn how to control it--”  
  
“We should have an expedition ready and you two are just faffing around with those drones!”  
  
“It’s not faffing around, Chris,” Matt scoffs. “These are actually scientific and engineering experiments you’ve been seeing the whole time. And this wasn’t my idea. It was Corvo’s.”  
  
There’s a questioning look on Chris’ face as he faces the Japanese singer, wanting an explanation right away.  
  
Corvo takes the time to land his drone on the ground to pick it up with his hands before he speaks with Chris.  
  
“Matt is right, it is my idea to bring drones here. This is something that past expeditions didn’t have, but we do,” Corvo says, triumphantly holding up the drone.  
  
“How does that help us?” Chris asks, still skeptical.  
  
“You knew what the mountain guide and the Internet have said about how helicopters can’t fly so high up to Mount Everest, even to the base camp, right?”  
  
Chris nods.  
  
“Well, as the experts have pointed out, while it’s actually possible to do so it can’t be done so easily due to the huge risks to attempt it. The trouble with helicopters is in its size. With powerful rotors and noise, that brings with it the risk of manmade avalanches. And also how much danger the pilot is in to fly up to this altitude without risking hypoxia if they don’t have enough oxygen with them.  
  
“A drone is smaller, silent, and remote-controlled. It eliminates all the problems that a helicopter has. With it, we can use it to survey the possible locations that were marked out of where the body might be.”  
  
Ever since the device came into market for both commercial and military use, drones are gaining attention and widespread popularity. The idea of using it to find missing people is one that never came to Chris’ mind.  
  
“Something tells me that these aren’t the ordinary drones that are sold commercially.”  
  
“And you’re right. I know a team from a University back in Britain who have been experimenting on building drones designed to be able to fly up to the altitudes for cruising commercial planes and withstand the temperatures from that high up. They were more than happy to provide us the prototypes that they have built so long as I return back with data for them to study.  
  
“The drones are well-designed, hardened to withstand the extremities of its surroundings, but the shortcoming that the team had was signal range. The drones can fly up really high and further than the commercial one, but the team couldn’t fly it too far or too high up to a certain distance before the drone stops receiving input from the controller. While we won’t have that problem since we have to go to where Dave might have fell, Matt and I have been testing it to see how the mountain range will affect its signal input.”  
  
Chris mentally takes a step back, thinking about the ace that Corvo had introduced from his metaphorical sleeve. It’s frankly well thought out. It has all the advantages that they need in order to ease up the labour and cause less risks towards potential casualties. Potentially, if it works, the drones may be a gamebreaker for future uses of rescue and recovery. But that is for the future to deal with it, for there’s still one stark problem right in front of Chris.  
  
“It’s a good idea, I’m not complaining. But you only brought two drones with you,” he points out.  
  
“I didn’t bring just a couple of drones. I brought several. Around half a dozen or more,” Corvo says with a dismissive wave. “Made my baggage weight cost a lot more to pay for the airline to get them here, but it finally made Max stopped being an annoyance when it was shown to him to get him to start preparing for the expedition.”  
  
Hearing that, Chris can’t help but feel in awe towards the Japanese singer. He can no longer doubt how well-prepared Corvo is and the expedition now. Looking at a certain perspective, Chris now has a revelation.   
  
The stories that he has heard of how Corvo and his bandmates do the crazy and almost downright reckless challenges, and the whole time Corvo has been doing the same towards him, Matt, Dom, and Tom. He had given them advice and guidance, but they are the ones who have chosen what they wanted to do and he merely serves his role to help them get there. They are going to do the very impossible plan that so many people have persuaded them against doing it.  
  
When the day is nearing towards dark, Chris watches them teach the sherpas under Himex’ employment in how to control the drones and watch the men having fun learning how to play with it.  
  
\-----  
  
More and more good news are bubbling as days passed bt in the camp. The expedition is finally approved. Logistics are being set up to prep for the now approved expedition. Sure enough, as the tourists have completed their summit and pack up to return home, there are a number of sherpas under Himex’ employment who are now available.  
  
They have a number of people joining into the expedition team forming up, most of those are sherpa volunteers.  
  
The expedition team is larger than normal. It wasn’t going to be the road well-travelled by the mountaineering tourists or sherpas alike and preparations and precautions are taken seriously. The large number of sherpas were needed not only to carry supplies, but also in order to retrieve and even bring the body back, with a number of them on reservation.  
  
The final thing that came into question before the expedition is good to go is this: who should go and who should stay behind.  
  
With the fairly large size of the expedition party, the sherpas are more than capable of looking after them all, but consensus among themselves has been agreed that aside from Corvo, only two are allowed to go to the expedition while the other half are to stay in base camp.  
  
The choice of who to go are finally boiled down to be Chris and Tom.  
  
After goodbyes are said and done, the singer and drummer watched as the expedition party leave base camp. They keep on watching until they can no longer see the men before they turn their backs.  
  
A long, uncertain wait is ahead of the two of them staying behind.  
  
\-----  
  
The travelling expedition party is at its second day towards its journey. It’s a slow yet steady trek towards their destination. Climbing ropes are used extensively to climb through the steeper inclines. On flat ground, its fluorescent colours act as guiding road to bring them back to base camp, with flags planted as waypoints in case the ropes have been moved from its original place or are lost or covered by snow.  
  
Chris can feel a pair of eyes keeping watch on him and Tom. Or several eyes, more like. He definitely knows that it’s coming from Corvo and from Max, the rest are from the sherpas. Neither he nor Tom have any experience in mountain climbing, and the biggest fear at any time is that they might lose someone from the expedition.  
  
He and Tom have behaved themselves thoroughly, following to the instructions that Max gives to them. That said, the trek is as tough as they have claimed. Even with oxygen tanks and backpack on them, Chris still feels somewhat sluggish and each time he lifts his foot up, it’s like lifting lead.  
  
Several times, Chris had seen Tom take out his camera to take some photos when they stop for rest on flatter ground. Looking around, he is starting to understand what it feels like to be the trio presenters on Top Gear whenever they are sent off to another part of the world and they stop their cars to see the natural sights.   
  
Mount Everest is a harsh and unforgiving landscape. Yet from where he stands currently, in a way, it has a kind of beauty that seems untouched by humans. At least they are seeing beautiful sight and not on a part of the mountain that is well known by climbers for its euphemistic name of the ‘Rainbow Valley’.  
  
The party finally came to a complete stop on the afternoon during the third day, and Chris and Tom are relieved to hear words that they never thought would sound so good to their ears.  
  
“That’s the ridge that we’re looking for,” Max says. “We’ll make camp here.”  
  
While one part of the expedition team starts to set up camp, another one are taking their drones out of their backpacks to prepare for the recon search.  
  
“You sure that these drones will work?” Max asks Corvo as the Japanese singer preps his own drone. Even after showing him the drones can work on such conditions and the idea that was proposed is what finally allowed this expedition to start, it can’t shake off the Australian man’s doubts. Anything could go wrong and they all knew it.  
  
“They will work or they will not,” Corvo simply answers. “Either way, we are going to search through its area.”  
  
Just in case the experimental drones don’t work, they have prepared a select number of climbers as a search team to go to the ridge and get a head start to survey the surroundings manually. It is a damn or be damned thing. They’ve come this far to do their objectives, turning back is only for when the conditions turn critical to avoid risks to the lives of those in the expedition.  
  
One by one, the drones lift up to the skies and proceed towards the designated location area. The sight of those drones flying in the air is quite the sight to see.  
  
“Remember everyone, we’re looking for a man in a red jacket, black trousers, and grey boots lying on the ground!” Max shouts to remind them all.  
  
Due to the fact that they are experimental drones rather than commercial ones, the design team had the foresight to provide them with tablets reinforced to withstand the extreme cold temperatures for both the controller and the spotter to watch the screen and observe. Tom is taking the role as Corvo’s spotter, manning the tablet to keep an eye out for anything the camera sees.  
  
From there, it is silence from the drone flyers as they pay attention to the tablet and the control of their respective drones.  
  
It is expected that using the drones to search for the body might take two or three days, and that is on the best estimation. Then a few hours later, one of the sherpas called out to everybody else.  
  
“Red jacket! Red jacket!”  
  
Well, even the best estimations are an underestimation to itself.  
  
\-----  
  
Meanwhile, for Matt and Dom who had to stay behind on base camp, the wait is a boring yet agonising one.  
  
The radio calls sent to headquarters are only reports of the expedition party’s progress. A map is set aside to show and pinpoint the current location and time of where the team are currently at. They may have tracking devices to be located via GPS, but precautions are necessary to be sure of the approximate location.  
  
The last radio call was a confirmation that they’ve reached the designated location and have set up camp and are starting the process to do a searching sweep soon.  
  
While the expedition is on the move, there were several times over the days where Matt and Dom talk about how they should have joined the expedition. The mountain guide and Corvo have their respective good points in why they should stay behind. They needed them to stay behind to communicate with the outside world, and for the worst case scenarios that no one in the band wants to think about. It’s good enough as it is to prepare for such plausible expectations.  
  
The number of sherpas going along is more than enough to secure Chris and Tom’s safety, and Matt and Dom believe that they will come back safe and sound.  
  
Max had promised them that they can join them later if Dave can be found and the team have established a secured route to go there. But until then, the singer and the drummer are subjected to the game of waiting and staving off boredom. With not much to do, two-man board games can surprisingly suffice to pass the time, like chess for example. It’s also known to teach players in how to strategize their movements, so why not?  
  
They are on their eighth match by the third day and are getting a hang of how to play the game. Matt is about to use his black rook to take Dom’s white bishop off the board when the walkie-talkie crackles to life.   
  
 _“Matt? Dom? Are you there?”_  Chris’ voice crackles from the radio.  
  
Quick in his hands, Matt picks up the walkie-talkie.  
  
“Yes Chris, we’re here now.”  
  
 _“We got news. You won’t fucking believe it.”_  
  
Both men perk up upon hearing that. Could it be…?  
  
“Well tell us straightaway!” Matt says. “Don’t keep us in suspense here!”  
  
 _“We’ve found Dave.”_  
  
\-----  
  
The body is lying on a gentle incline, lying near to a wall of ice and rock. To those who have been present throughout climbing season in the mountains, it is as they feared. The snow from a prior snowstorm had melted just enough that when it freezed again, it glued the body onto the surface. For those present, they know that it’s going to take a lot of time and labour to dig the cadaver out of the ground.  
  
A group of men stand in a semicircle, quiet as they speak in their native tongues under their own breaths.  
  
Prayers are made. Each for a different reason. To pray to the gods. To grant Dave a safe journey towards Heaven. To ask for the deceased’s permission to touch and move his body. To allow Dave’s soul to be at peace that his body is found and that he can move on to the afterlife.  
  
When all’s said and done, they pull tools out of their bags and start their work.  
  
\-----  
  
Ever since Matt and Dom received the news that Dave’s body has been found, word eventually got around and now the base camp is a flurry of activities. Helen and Dave’s parents are surprised and then ecstatic that his body is finally found.  
  
When they informed Helen together with the speaker turned on Dom’s phone, Helen broke down into tears and couldn’t speak after that, and Matt and Dom had to be the ones to stop the call to allow her time to regain her composure.  
  
By the next day, Chris and Tom have returned to Base Camp. Both Matt and Dom proceeded to and poke and prod answers out of the bassist and media manager until there is no more to be said. That evening, they toasted cups of tea to their departed friend.  
  
Corvo returns to camp the day after, his beard having grown thicker for his face to withstand the frigid temperatures much as have the rest of them.  
  
When Corvo is about to return his ‘shift’ the next day, Matt and Dom decided to join along. This time, there’s no refusal, although Corvo does warn them that the trek is no less arduous even after the establishment of a proper route.  
  
And he was right, the trek is hell for them, but they never let their complaints slip out of their lips. During the time spent for a rest and tea break before reaching the expedition’s camp, Matt finally asks the question that has long bothered him.  
  
“Do you know how Dave may have died?” Matt asks. “You’ve found and seen his body. Have you found out the cause?”  
  
“I’m not a pathologist, but I’ve had a good look at the body and am only saying this based on sight and the circumstances,” Corvo says, sounding apologetic. “Even with amateur knowledge, his clothes and gear makes it difficult to exam his body. Given what we already knew, however, it’s more than obvious that he’d suffered through multiple life-threatening injuries that he’d taken from the fall.”  
  
“But what do you think is the cause of his death?” Matt presses on. Even Dom is curious, his attention concentrated towards them.  
  
Corvo takes a sip from his cup before he answers. “Given from what little that we can tell, his death would come by three outcomes. One, his head met impact on the rocky surface and gave him a quick and merciful death. If that wasn’t the case, then the second one is that he succumbed to the fatal wounds he’d gotten. Or the injuries weren’t fatal, and he’d suffered through a slower death due to hypothermia or from HACE.”   
  
With that, Matt goes silent, his nose blowing away the steam vapours from his tea as he absorbs that knowledge. They’ll never know the actual cause of his death until they bring Dave’s body to a coroner for examination, but just the thought that his fatality might come from the possible scenarios that Corvo had described made his stomach drop.  
  
“As much as I hate to think about it,” Dom says, breaking the silence. “I hope that it’s the first one. I just… I can’t imagine him going through the last hours of his life alone and in so much pain.”  
  
“When it comes to dying, you always hope for the quickest one, even if it’s to your enemy,” Corvo says. They say nothing else after that.  
  
They continue on their trek after finishing their tea and biscuits.  
  
A while later, Corvo speaks to them again.  
  
“Although it’s only my second return to the site, it might be the last time.”  
  
“Why?” Dom asks.  
  
“Don’t get your hopes up so quickly. We’re not sure if we can bring him back yet or not. I just want to make sure that I can oversee how things will turn out.”  
  
Unlike the first time with the expedition team, the trek towards the camp location only takes a day to get there now that several of them are familiar with the grounds enough to get there and back.  
  
Corvo takes Matt and Dom away from the camping grounds and straight towards where Dave’s body is located.  
  
As they get near it, Matt and Dom can see a group of men working.  
  
“Better brace yourselves,” Corvo warns. “It’s not a sight to take in so easily.”  
  
They followed Corvo’s advice when the sherpas parted away just enough for them to see it. There is pain and grief to see it, yet also morbid curiosity to take a better look at the corpse.  
  
Dave is lying by his side. He is still wearing his breathing mask and it covers the bottom half of his face. The goggles that he’d worn are on top of his head, giving them a small sight of his face. His skin has turned blue. With his eyes closed, he looks as though he is merely asleep.  
  
“We’ve been breaking and melting the ice that’s keeping him frozen stuck to the surface, and also melting the ice surrounding him with heated knives to decrease the weight for when we haul his body off of here. We can melt the rest at base camp. It’s slow work, but we’re making progress.”  
  
“Wait--you’re saying that we’re really bringing him home?” Dom asks, his eyes finally tearing away from the corpse to look at Corvo.   
“Uhh… yes?”  
  
Dom gives his arm a jab.  
  
“What the fuck, man.”  
  
“Yeah, what the fuck, Corvo,” Matt jabs him as well. “Just hours ago, you were messing with us by telling us to not bring our hopes up of bringing his body home, and now you tell us that we actually can.”  
  
“It’s not as if there’s enough rocks of the right size and weight for us to build him a cairn to bury him in it,” Corvo says with a shrug. “And we’re doing a favour to the Nepalese to have one less body spoiling the sacred grounds of their famous mountain.”  
  
The brief moment of immaturity soon faded away when they turn their attention back to the cadaver.  
  
“Looks like Dave’s coming back home with us for real,” Matt says, finding it hard to believe that they will succeed in what they have set out to do.  
  
“Yeah,” Corvo nods. “Looks like he is.”  
  
And maybe Corvo himself is at a disbelief at what he had helped accomplished.  
  
\-----  
  
From where Matt is standing by the ship’s rail with Chris, The Needles is a scenic view, with Alum Bay cliffs as its background. The beauty of it, and the fact that this is one of only three designated areas approved by the government for those who chose burial at sea via casket rather than cremation, gave them a good clue in why Dave chose this place as his final resting place.  
  
It’s hard to believe that only a week ago, he along with his best friends have finished their journey and have brought their departed childhood friend finally back to the country of his birth.   
  
After freeing Dave from the ice, the team still had to shave off some ice on the body to reduce as much excess weight as possible before wrapping his body in a sheet and tying it onto a makeshift sled. On steeper parts, they carefully let the sled slide down, tethered by rope for precaution. On flat ground, they have each taken turns to pull the sled as they did their trek back to base camp.  
  
Bringing his body lower down from base camp, a helicopter was waiting there for them to escort them off of Everest.  
  
From helicopter, Dave and the rest of them were sent to a hospital in Kathmandu that has a morgue to keep the body there for storage until it’s ready to be flown back to Britain with them. Helen had already arrived at Kathmandu a day earlier to meet them and be able to finally see the body of her husband.  
  
Then it was a flight back to Britain and Dave’s body is sent off to another morgue to prepare for his burial.  
  
News about Dave returning to his native country did reach the media, of course. The minister did warned them of this, and the band themselves are aware, but Corvo has the foresight and the connections to alter how the news is given to the media and to the public.  
  
Many thanks were made to the mountain guide and the sherpas who made the expedition to bring Dave’s body down, with nary a mention that Muse was there in the first place. Since Corvo had a lot done to contribute to the rescue, he could only erase traces of his involvement down to being mentioned of him as ‘expert help’ that was provided to make the retrieval possible in the first place.  
  
It is the coroner in Britain who did the autopsy on Dave’s body, and to the relieve of the band, the reports that came out states that the cause of his death is due to a traumatic head injury that made Dave’s death an immediate one.  
  
Early this morning in the morgue, before the undertakers must close the casket to bring it to Corvo’s ship, Dave’s family and other people present there have each left a personal parting gift into the casket of the deceased. Dressed in a suit and arranged neatly inside the casket, Dave looks properly formal. Helen pulls a necklace out of her pocket to put it around Dave’s neck. The necklace has a watertight locket which contained in it a picture of Dave with his wife and kids. His children gave him flowers, although his youngest son snuck a small toy soldier into the casket. But everyone pretended that they didn’t see that.  
  
Out of gratitude, Dave’s family gave permission allow Matt, Chris, Dom, and Tom to attend the private ceremony. They each have something significant to give to Dave too, their gifts bearing memories that seem like a long time ago. A couple of photos, an old pin badge with a band name on it, a guitar pick.  
  
Once there is nothing left to give, the casket is finally closed and sealed tight, escorted by a hearse to Corvo’s ship waiting by the dock.  
  
A bell is rung to signify that the funeral is to start in a few minutes, and Matt and Chris went towards where the funeral is held on the ship. Along the way, they spot several men and women from the Navy that they met earlier while the ship is docked, both current and former ones, dressed in their formal military uniforms. Curiously, even when the news have never revealed them as the ones who made the recovery expedition happened and brought Dave back, those in the military somehow knew that it was them. Those navy men and women have shook their hands and silently thanked and congratulated them for bringing their fellow comrade back. They even did the same to Corvo.  
  
Also present for the funeral is Max, who looks hilariously gigantic next to the two sherpas present with him. Matt recognised the latter two men as being part of the expedition team. While most of those present for the funeral bonded with Dave when he was alive, these men, the mountaineering guide and the sherpas, have bonded with Dave in death.  
  
Ever since the expedition, Max and Corvo have gained respect for one another, and the Australian extends his respect towards Muse as well, impressed by the determination and fortitude that they possessed to do what they have set out to do.  
  
“You guys must be exhausted from the long flight to come here,” Matt says.  
  
“And they don’t look too well,” Chris says, noting the paled faces on the sherpas.  
  
“I can’t blame them,” Max says, patting one of the sherpas by the shoulder gently. “They’re born on the mountains. Different environments breed different sorts of tough people. But I’m keeping an eye out for them just in case.”  
  
Dom and Tom have already arrived before the singer and bassist did, having a chat with Corvo who had arrived at the funeral wearing a navy blue long coat with a suit underneath it and his face cleanly shaven. Next to the Japanese singer is a bagpiper and a drummer. He had graciously offered Dave’s family the use of his tall ship for this occasion. It couldn’t be a more fitting place to have a funeral held, for Dave had always had an enthusiasm towards sailing ships.  
  
The journey for their old friend since childhood finally comes to the end, and it’s only appropriate to give him the send off that he’d wished for.  
  
“I still can’t believe that you dragged me into this particular role,” Corvo grumbles. “Why can’t it be anyone else, like the ones who  _do_  enjoy this particular genre to sing it?”  
  
That doesn’t mean that the person that they picked to do it is happy to comply to it.  
  
“We don’t know anyone else who can give this song that he requested in his will justice,” Chris says, then he throws a grin. “And, it’s only appropriate that the captain of the ship does his duty to perform the final rites.”  
  
Corvo rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath about how that shouldn’t count as a duty for a captain to do.  
  
“Oh, chin up there, Corvo. It’s just one song,” Dom says. “We’re not asking you to use your ship for a Viking style funeral.”  
  
“Well, he can’t complain if I choose to sing this song in a more appropriate style then,” Corvo says, conceding to Dom’s point and now much less grumpy.   
  
A chaplain was provided by the Royal Navy do the service. The funeral is a fairly formal one, with speeches made by the chaplain, Dave’s former captain, his father, and by Helen. Tears were shed, goodbyes are made, and respects are paid to the deceased.  
  
When the chaplain finishes the final rites, only then does the song start. The sounds of bagpipe and drum brought music to life as the final part of the funeral starts.  
  
Singing in baritone, Corvo gave the country song a slower, lower tempo to fit more in line with the atmosphere of the funeral. The navy men and women stand around the casket and gave their salutes to before proceeding to lift the casket up, acting as the pallbearers to lift and bring Dave towards the designated area to release the casket to the sea.  
  
Even when they know where the conclusion leads to, Matt and Chris and Dom and Tom are red-eyed and have tears rolling down their faces. For all the doubts and hardships and pain, it was all worth it for this bittersweet end.  
  
When Matt hears the lyrics that are sung out loud, he can’t help but grin. After all they had been through, the song that Dave picked is so fitting to hear to them.  
  
 _“Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.  
Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze.”  
  
“Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.  
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.”  
  
“All my memories gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water.  
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye.”  
  
“Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.  
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.”  
  
“I hear her voice in the morning hour, she calls me, the radio reminds me of my home far away.  
And driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday, yesterday.”  
  
“Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.  
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.”  
  
“Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.  
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.”  
  
“Take me home now, country roads,  
Take me home now, country roads…”_  
  
“Yeah, we’ve brought you home, Dave.”  
  
  
END

**Author's Note:**

> I did this whole thing out of the weirdest whim in my mind. Considering the sheer willpower done to write the whole thing, Tamar saw some of it and insisted that I have to post it one way or another. So thank you to my friend Tamar, for the encouragement needed to do this story! Enjoy and comment!


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